10/27 - Class Recap

Today's class dealt with the intersection of race and gender through Serena Williams. I (Mr. Fritz) am a huge tennis fan and I have seen Serena win multiple grand slam championships. I took this photo in 2013, as she won the French Open in Paris.

Dear class,

Happy Friday! In DSJ, we looked at the intersection of Race and Gender in our society. Here's what happened in class today:

Learning Targets Addressed:
I can communicate effectively both verbally and in writing.
I can apply understanding of ideas and concepts to a new context or problem.
I can demonstrate an understanding of the role of governments in current issues.
I can effectively conduct and apply research.

Soundtrack: "Sorry" by Beyonce. Selected for today because Serena Williams is featured as a part of this music video.

AGENDA 10/27/17:
Check-In/Review Agreements
Small Groups – Current Event
Serena Williams
Vocabulary Chart Peer Definition
Vocabulary Packet
Review, Highlight and Annotate

Homework: Read the blog! Next current event: Miranda, Mia, Grace, Paitra.
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Check In/Review Agreements: At the beginning of class, we went over the Courageous Conversations Agreements, as always, to begin our work together for the day. After checking in, we talked for a bit about what is happening in the world outside of class.

We talked for a bit about common themes to address that came up with your Race unit reflections (which, on the whole, were outstanding - thank you). These were:

1) Wanting more action/not just talk
2) Diversity in viewpoints needed - class feels pretty liberal
3) Not focusing on just white/black at the start
4) Switch up who we talk to - more one on one, not just in current small groups
5) Near universal appreciation for the Affinity Group activity.

Thank you for your feedback! We are looking forward to continuing to have these conversations and further refine how class works.

Small Groups: We had students get into their small groups and sign up for dates to do a Current Event presentation, by filling in their information on the Google Doc that is on Google Classroom. We will try and remind students as to what they signed up for in advance. Here's the actual assignment, again:

Google Drive - DSJ Current Event Group Assignment

Serena Williams: This was an activity Mrs. Labossiere likes to run regarding analyzing race and gender. We looked at various different statements about Serena Williams, one of the best tennis players in history, as Mrs. Labossiere annotated her responses.

We asked a few questions in small groups and then had a larger group conversation: how much of these sorts of statements are due to Serena's race and how much is about gender?

Vocabulary Chart Peer Definition: This was a continuation of the work packet we gave out a while ago, as we wanted students to get different definitions from peers regarding gender. The packet we are working on is here:

Google Drive - DSJ Vocabulary Guide

Next, we passed out copies of this National Geographic glossary regarding gender terms:

NationalGeographic.com - Redefining Gender

We reviewed these terms, highlighted, and annotated with a class discussion as we ended class. Thank you as always for your ongoing participation here!